For you Photoshop users out there, a little assistance please

I'm pretty good around PS but have never really worked with png files until I started messing with the droid. I've made plenty of image adjustments that worked fine, some that didn't but was acceptable, and some that I considered an epic fail.

For you PS peeps that make your png images or edit existing ones, I have a question for you.

How are you able to save the images so they are not only small in file size, but keep the necessary image proportions so they come out as wanted? I've created background images (for example for the power widget) that don't retain the stock background size. Many times all I've done is adjust the opacity, so I'm thinking its somewhere in the saving of the image.

More recently I took the little triangle image that is on the LauncherPro Plus calendar widget, trying to make it blue instead of the greyscale color it is stock. Changing the color wasn't a problem, putting it in the apk wasn't the problem, but when I rebooted, the image was huge in the calendar spot.

So, is there certain settings I need to set before saving the images? I'm really looking for the answer to this as it's often getting in the way.

To be honest, I've never had this issue and I've been using PNGs for every image file I've saved for the past 4 years. CS3-CS4-CS5 -- never seen it.

Click to expand...

Here's examples of what I mean. First pic is the size and shape of what the power widget should hold. Even though the BG is correct the blue bars I created by changing the properties of the original PNGs and you can see how they distorted:

Here's BG images that I both created on my own or merely just changed the opacity:

I'm not quite sure exactly what you're referring to, but I'm gathering that you only resize the icons themselves and when placed back inot the widget background, the background itself is what seems to expand, correct?
Only thing I can think of is that you aren't outputting the PNG to the exact dimensions of the original... 150x150 still needs to output to 150x150, including the transparent areas of the PNG... that's all I can come up with... although I use GIMP, but basically the same tool in most ways.

I'm not quite sure exactly what you're referring to, but I'm gathering that you only resize the icons themselves and when placed back inot the widget background, the background itself is what seems to expand, correct?
Only thing I can think of is that you aren't outputting the PNG to the exact dimensions of the original... 150x150 still needs to output to 150x150, including the transparent areas of the PNG... that's all I can come up with... although I use GIMP, but basically the same tool in most ways.

Click to expand...

what you say make sense, but I run in to these problems when I'm just adjusting the color/opacity/other of the original image, no resizing at all. And, not only background images. i know those are stretched at times, but I've run in to this when it's icons too. Most recently was the little gray triangle that you can see in the LP calendar widget in my sig. I changed it's from greyscale to RGB and put a blue overlay and save it as a PNG. When I applied and rebooted, the triangle took up half the square of the calendar day. (The ones you see were taken from another themed widget)

The XMLs really shouldn't be scaling it based on image grayscale or RGB, so you certain that the triangle was output to the exact demensions as was?... I may play with this just to see what happens with me...lol .

BTW, never had anything similiar to what you're saying happen to me....'yet'...lol

It's been a long time since I played with PS, but as I remember it you not only have the physical dimensions of the graphic to worry about but the resolution as well. A picture set at 300dpi on a 72dpi screen will be quite small regardless of how many pixels it has. Or was it the other way around?

Make sure that your png's resolution matches the screen, or at least the rest of the graphic elements you are using it with.

That's my best guess, and take it with a large dose of salt because I'm translating form experiences that had nothing to do with themeing.

Jim, look up what the density (PPI/DPI) of the Droid's screen is, make sure your Photoshop document is the same as that. Photoshop may not open then re-save with the density intact for whatever reason, even if it's just a bug in your version. It's worth double checking.

I was also thinking that somehow the .9 information wasnt retained, or was inadvertantly modified. I dont know if the images in question are a .9 tho. I havent succesfully modified anything on my d1 yet, that would be my first guess because it looks as if the image is stretching.

Photoshop should retain the same DPI as the original image when you save it, but double check your settings before saving. I would imagine the images are in 72 dpi format but i could be wrong. Im still new to all of this modding as well.

Im also not sure about saving on file size. Maybe going to an indexed profile before saving?

Jim, look up what the density (PPI/DPI) of the Droid's screen is, make sure your Photoshop document is the same as that. Photoshop may not open then re-save with the density intact for whatever reason, even if it's just a bug in your version. It's worth double checking.

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